Were not really episode 3 focused, although we realised early on to attract visitors you need to have Episode III news coming in.

Has anyone got any suggestions on how to contact people who want their fan fiction to be shown on a site? I did try contacting people in the fanfiction forums, but it was looked on by them as spamming. so got a lot of abuse.

Really i think what we need is a few more staff on the site so they can keep the site up to date with news, and do articles about whatever.

It can take a bit of time to get rolling on these things. There are several other sites around the net that do meet the needs that you have chosen to fulfill, at least on a first impression/visit of your site.

You might want to find a more focused approach to your content selection. Find that niche that hasn't been covered again and again in other sites.

Seek out what you wish to cover but bigger, better and faster than anyone else.

Be tenacious, patient and believe in your product, get to know people: artists/writers...be consistent, have updates regularly.

Don't look for success right away. Having trailers or new pics brings people in initially (even if you have other content) but when it comes right down to it...the people stop coming (or really start to trail off) when the spoilers stop coming. Make sure the content you have is strong...again..bigger, better, faster.

The biggest sites right now, the ones with the most consistent flow of traffic, are sites that have been around a while and have proven that patience, tenacity and new content pay off. some of those sites are all encompassing, great for an established site...but really hard to maintain and make unique if you're just getting started.

I think that your layout is quite nice and the color scheme is top-notch. You have a good amount of information, but again I think that if you want to focus on fan fiction and art that people should see that when they first arrive. Make it a part of your logo somehow, let people know what you are about in a short phrase or a few words on each page and offer something nobody else has.

I know it sounds rather redundant and a slightly more wordy reiteration of Yoda Jeff's comments...hehe, but that's the way to get the point across.

Just to say ive updated the site with new graphics and layout. The forums are still work in progress though, as im having trouble trying to pass over the template to it (anyone have any good tutorials)

Hey there, I'm Tron - the webmaster over at Fandom Comics (www.fandom.swnsu.com). We've just started our site recently as well and I've been involved in many other projects so I know how frustrating it can be to want to syndicate your site all over but just not seeing the traffic you'd hoped for. It just takes time, and you have to make sure to spread the word yourself to as many places as you can find. Because if no one knows about your site - they're not going to spread the word for you. We've had a lot of luck with Fandom Comics so far and it stems from doing just what I said. We posted on every forum we knew of, letting everyone know who we were and what we were planning on doing. It'll probably be a little more difficult for you because you're creating a general fan site, not something as specific as we were doing. I agree with a lot of what Princess-Leah mentioned, you need to find a nitch and stick with it. Give your visitors a reason to want to come to your site over all the other fan sites that are out there. Trust me it'll pay off.

As a long time freelance/professional web designer let me tell you: the layout and scheme of your site is very impressive. I really like it. It's very sharp and professional looking. My only suggestions to you would be first of all: browser compatibility. The site looks great in Internet Explorer, but in Firefox (the browser I use 99.99% of the time) there are a few things that are off - specifically the links under "Main Menu". You should always check your site with at least two to three browsers before you publish it just to make sure everything looks the way it's supposed to, or at least looks good enough to present. Secondly, and this is something that most people never notice until it's not there but your logo at the top of the page should ALWAYS be a link that goes back to your main page. That's a trick that every pro I know uses. I know you've got the links that show up under the logo that function like that, but it's best to make your logo a link back to your root all the same. Lastly - at a glance not many people would know what your site is about. Your logo should always contain a phrase with that information. Don't be afraid to be very specific. Rather than saying "The Alternative Trilogy" which can be very vague and most people won't get the connection; try putting something like "fan-fiction community" or "your source to fan-fiction". Something that's straight and to the point. You lose a lot of viewers who simply visit your main page, don't know what the site is about, and rather than hunting around looking for an explanation; they just leave and don't come back.

Anyway, keep up the great work. I'll be sure to stop in from time to time to see what you do with the site.

Yeah, i had noticed the problems with firefox/opera/NS not sure where i can change this, i used CSS style sheets to try and make the site a little easier to manage but seems to upset other Browsers and stuff (gah!)

I did try to change it, but then it messes up in IE, so ive left it for the moment, as IE is what 80-90% of users use. I will try to change it.

Im using a portal called mambo to display the site, this makes it easier for the non-technical members of my site able to update the news and things. However it causes knightmares like the above becuase i am restricted in what i can do with it, does anyone have any portals they use which are more flexible?

Yes, we do need more focus on the site, its not generally a fanfiction site, it was intended to be an alternative trilogy (a new version of episodes IV-V-VI as if they were filmed in chronilogical order) - however its taking longer than expected to set everything up and therefore, ive had to open up other areas to just make sure there is content on the site.

Does anyone have a any ideas i could implement? in fact im open to any suggestions for the site. darthevilbob@sequel-trilogy.net - anyone who gives me a good idea or suggestion can have an email address @sequel-trilogy.net - anything they like!